Loja, Ecuador | Overseas Haven Report

Throughout our Overseas Haven Report on Loja, Ecuador, we will alert you to the good and the not so good aspects of living life in Loja.

Writer Lee Harrison has himself lived in Ecuador for years and had this to say, “if I were to return as a resident today, Loja is where I’d live.” You really can’t get a better recommendation than that!

In this Overseas Haven Report we explore Loja, Ecuador, a hidden-gem in one of South America’s most expat-friendly countries.

Loja is a little-known, off-the-gringo-trail city in Ecuador’s southern Andean range. As with many choices in Ecuador the climate is pleasant, the cost of living is low, there’s great healthcare, and the people are friendly.

Marais, Paris, France | Overseas Haven Report

$ 9.95

This Overseas Haven Report features one of Kathleen Peddicord’s favorite parts of the world, Paris, and specifically one of the most sought after locales in Paris, the Marais. It’s a location that’s not low cost, for sure, but once you get stuck into Parisian living, (and you’ve survived the sticker-shock of the cost of renting or buying) it’s not as expensive as you may think.

Northern Belize | Overseas Haven Report

$ 9.95

Our Overseas Haven Report for Northern Belize is an up-close and in-depth look at one of the region’s best kept secrets.

Northern Belize is a region encompassing a landmass of only about 2,500 square miles, but it stretches from the Caribbean Sea to the forests of Central America. It is truly where the Caribbean and Central America meet.

Pai, Thailand | Overseas Haven Report

$ 9.95

This Overseas Haven Report features the pretty mountain town of Pai in northwest Thailand. Pai is a peaceful spot, where lovers of organically grown food and alternative living can really flourish and live a quiet but complete life.

Bocas del Toro, Panama | Overseas Haven Report

$ 9.95

Bocas del Toro is a tourist town. In fact, it is often regarded as Panama’s top tourist destination—and for good reason, too. Bocas del Toro Province is one of the most pristine areas on Panama’s Caribbean coast, and tourists have started to take note of its dense rain forests, clear and clean turquoise water, and white-sand beaches.

Bocas del Toro is a province in Panama consisting of a small portion of the mainland as well as an archipelago of nine islands. It borders the Caribbean Sea to the north, Chiriquí to the south, Costa Rica to the west, and the indigenous Ngöbe-Bugle comarca to the east.

Minutes after stepping off the water taxi that takes you to Bocas Town, on the Bocas del Toro archipelago’s Isla Colón, tour guides are waiting to pounce with their offers of island hopping, scuba diving, surf lessons, ziplining, and more. Hostels, hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, restaurants, cafés, and bars surround the main seafront strip where the water taxis unload the wide-eyed visitors.

But Bocas is so much more than just tourists… The 19,000 or so residents in town consist of surfers, fishers, and entrepreneurs, including local indigenous people, Panamanians, and foreigners. Like much of Panama, Bocas is a multicultural mix.

Bocas town has a distinctly Caribbean flair (not surprisingly, given that it’s located on the Caribbean coast). Rastafarian culture is present in the music, shops, and restaurants, and Bob Marley blasts from bar speakers and adorns tourist T-shirts. Don’t be confused though. This isn’t Jamaica; Bocas Town just feels like Jamaica.